RACQ lists safest used cars for dads' peace of mind

RACQ has released its list of the safest used cars as a guide for parents of aspiring young drivers, but there might be a few disagreements in the Bathersby family.

Sixteen-year-old Eloise is of that age where she wants a new car and that's a daunting prospect for parents Brendan and Lisa as it would be for most.

Eloise was under the impression that her parents would be buying her first car, should she get an OP five, totally unaware that might not be entirely true.

Brendan said a balance needed to be struck regarding reliability and affordability when considering Eloise's first car.

"There might be a different thought process to girls than boys - you want them to be able to get home if the car breaks down," he said.

"It's almost a badge of honour for boys to have a bomb, but you want them to be safe.

"I'd say something like a small Toyota or a Holden would be pretty safe."

And he wasn't too far off the mark with the Holden Cruze and Toyota Prius making the top-five cars.

But Eloise isn't too worried about safety just yet with her car of choice being the Suzuki Swift for its downright cuteness.

"I haven't really looked into it too much," she said.

"I will eventually, once I start looking for real, but for now it's all about looks."

For now, Brendan says it's all about preparing Eloise with the right training so she is confident in whatever car she drives.

"What I did with (son) Jack, when he went on his first lesson, I sat in the back seat and took notice of what the instructor did," he said.

"So I tried to redo the same things, talk them through it and just keep talking to them the whole time. I'm pretty relaxed, but you're on edge a little bit, whereas Lisa hasn't done it (gone out with the instructor) - she's like a cat on a hot tin roof."

Eloise might be daddy's little girl because she said she couldn't agree more.

"That's pretty accurate actually. (Mum's) just sitting in the back seat holding on for her life," Eloise said. "She was very much a backseat driver. She's very reluctant to let me drive at all."